“It smells strong like this.”

Whenever the Master spoke, she could feel a breath that seemed to burn on her skin. All the hair on her body stood up. Their distance was too close. If someone were to see this sight, they would surely misunderstand.

“Master…!”

Amelia pushed the Master’s chest with all her strength. For a moment, she was taken aback by the body that obediently moved back despite its physique. Was he faltering?

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

The Master, who covered his surprised face with a hand, seemed quite flustered. His stiff eyebrows and protruding temples gave off that impression.

“I’ve told you before… that we won’t have incidents like this again.”

“You must be out of your mind.”

There is nothing more to say to someone who is reflecting. The Master’s expression showed genuine surprise, as if he hadn’t expected something like this to happen. Amelia sighed inwardly and continued speaking.

Well, if this is all due to the strange odor coming from me, so be it.

“I think I should leave now. I’m sure you’ll do well with the old downtown.”

She got up and straightened her seat with a flick. Even at that moment, the Master, still covering his face, looked confused.

I was certain that the smell coming from me was terribly bad.

***

Amelia decided to store the sword at the merchantry after considering the Master’s words that it would take at least 10 more years for Leonel to use it.

It was a system where if someone came to any point and asked for the item they had left, they could find it.

“Should we go see the opera today?”

“I like that.”

Amelia had been spending all her time with Leonel lately. The shock of their first outing being at the auction house had not yet passed. She became restless at the thought that she wouldn’t be able to enjoy this kind of life after leaving Siegfried.

The attention of the public will surely be on her and Leonel when they escape from the grand duchy.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yes!”

Let’s enjoy it while it’s free. As long as she was in Siegfried, all of Amelia and Leonel’s outings were covered by Siegfried.

“Leonel, how is life these days?”

“What? Life?”

Their recent daily lives have been relaxing. The problem was that it was excessively monotonous and peaceful. It shouldn’t be like this. If Amelia’s life had been so peaceful, such misfortune wouldn’t have happened. First of all, May, who had been keeping an eye on her, was nowhere to be seen.

No matter how many times she’d told her to stay out of sight, would she really not show her face like this? May had to show her face somehow. Especially in places where Raphael was.

“Are there any people bothering you lately?”

“No, there aren’t.”

“It could be May, or a maid, or even the teacher who teaches you during class, so please let me know.”

Otherwise, they could be harassing the child in a place she doesn’t know. Leonel was the one who endured everything without saying a word, even when unfair things happened to him.

“Really, there aren’t any.”

Everything was going smoothly. Her runaway funds were in place, and no one was bothering Leonel. But why couldn’t she hide this unease? Everything was progressing according to plan, so why…

“Father.”

“You two went out again, I see.”

Amelia realized the source of this uncomfortable feeling. It was because of Raphael’s attitude. She wasn’t used to his sudden change in demeanor. She didn’t know what was going on in his mind, but something was off about Raphael these days.

“…”

“You went to watch the opera today?”

“You already know everything.”

Hadn’t they already agreed that he would only appear at breakfast? Before I knew it, he suddenly started participating in every meal. It’s not like he couldn’t eat, but wasn’t he someone who didn’t particularly enjoy eating? Wasn’t he a workaholic?

“It seems you’re not busy.”

“I’m not so busy that I can’t have a meal with my family.”

At first, they would eat out and come back. But since Raphael became more persistent, they hadn’t gone out for a meal in a long time. If this continued, he might even follow them when they went out. Ironically, even though he did that, he didn’t say a word to her when he entered the room.

He wasn’t a two-faced man, either. When he entered the room, he tightly held the bedside table, as if he were afraid that she might touch him. Amelia was at a loss for words when she woke up in the morning to find his handprints still on the bedside table.

If he hated her so much, why not use different rooms? She couldn’t understand why he kept insisting on sleeping together despite hating her enough to the point of breaking the furniture.

“You haven’t gone to the western forest lately.”

“Ah, there’s no need to go there.”

Wasn’t it a place you used to go in and out like eating a meal¹meaning something that occurs often? The good thing is that you didn’t take Leonel with you. Amelia sighed inwardly. What she didn’t like even more was that whenever she was away for a while, his bedside table was replaced with a new one. As if implying that she had misunderstood.

“Are you going out tomorrow as well?”

“Yes.”

Amelia changed her plans. She’s planning to go out with Leonel every day from now on. That way, she thought she wouldn’t get caught even if she escaped later.

Should she ask the Master for help? Would he even help with the escape?

“I’m glad that the Grand Duchess seems to have become more active.”

What should she say in response to those words? It would be better if he’d hated or suspected her as he did before. What if he started to like her because she became quiet and obedient, should she go back to the way she was before?

No, that’s not it. In order for that to happen, she would have to drown herself in liquor every day and break things, which she couldn’t do. First of all, she doesn’t enjoy drinking. Unless she had a strong liver, it was impossible for her to live like Amelia. The body of an office worker was incredibly fragile and pitiful. Like a sunfish, like a zombie that could barely commute to work.

“Mother… can’t I sleep with you tonight?”

“Leonel….”

After dinner ended, Amelia stroked Leonel’s cheek as he held her hand and talked. He said this on purpose in front of Raphael. It was childish. Now, he seemed like any other child who could say what he wanted and throw a tantrum.

Before, he was a child who couldn’t even meet her eyes because he was scared. But now he knew how to complain. Amelia didn’t know what to do and hugged Leonel. Where on earth did such a beautiful child come from?

If Raphael hadn’t been there, she would have pinched his cheeks and kissed him right there.

“Well… Leonel….”

“No.”

Before she could say it wouldn’t work, someone else’s words came out. He had a stern expression on his face, seeming as though not a single drop of blood would come out even if she pricked it.

“I think you’re past the age of sleeping together.”

“…Yes….”

Has that time passed? If so, then he should know that Leonel has never fallen asleep with his mother, Amelia, not even once. Except for the day she angrily stormed out of the room.

“Why did you say that?”

“What do you mean?”

Leonel was deeply disappointed, and she couldn’t comfort him. All he could say was, ‘See you tomorrow.’ It was understandable if his son thought that way, but he was being unnecessarily mean.

“There was no need to be so cold.”

He was already a child who was afraid of Raphael. She thought he had improved a little… But looking at his expression just now, that wasn’t the case at all. Leonel still finds it difficult to deal with his father. Though he wasn’t even asking to be treated gently.

“If I say it’s not allowed, then it’s not allowed. How should I have answered for you to be satisfied?”

“…You could have said it nicely. Or at least intervened.”

To be honest, he was wrong to get involved in the conversation. If he couldn’t speak kindly, he should have stayed quiet.

“What?”

“He was asking me, Your Grace, not you.”

Amelia was starting to get used to this big man. Initially, he found him intimidating, but now he wasn’t that scary. At most, all he could do was frown.

Maybe it was because they ate the same meal every day and slept in the same bed.

“You didn’t have to refuse so abruptly.”

She was worried that, after today’s incident, Leonel wouldn’t be able to face Raphael again.

“And sometimes you should also sleep with the child.”

Since sleeping at the edge of the bed, always being cautious of their bodies touching has become their daily routine anyway. She didn’t understand why they had to use the same room.

“As I said before, that’s not possible.”

“That must be a rule that only His Highness the Grand Duke has to follow.”

It was a rule that had nothing to do with her. She felt like she was being pushed to the point of divorce and complete separation.

“It doesn’t matter. Do we really have to use the same room?”

She hated it so much. Sleeping every day with a person she disliked was miserable. Every time she saw him holding tightly to the bedside table, her stomach twisted.

“You don’t want to share the same room with me, do you?”

Amelia pointed at the newly changed bedside table. It was a waste to change it to a new one every time.

“Who said that?”

“……Sorry?”

Amelia unconsciously took a step back when she saw his face distorted as though it were about to explode. She thought she knew him a lot now, but she had never seen this expression before.

It felt like she shouldn’t get too close.

“Who said I don’t want to?”